Award-Winning Washing-up Bowl

The story of the Washing-up Bowl began on a day when Ole Jensen was doing the dishes in his kitchen sink. He noticed the inflexible and hard design of the stainless steel sink and suddenly feels a great reluctance to put his fragile china and fine glassware into it. The reluctance turns into irritation and out of this irritation the idea for a flexible washing-up bowl that adapts to its content is formed.

This was how Ole Jensen's Washing-up Bowl came to life and the product, as we know it today, is the result of many hours of development. The bowl itself is made of fine quality rubber with a soft finish, making the bowl pleasant to the touch and functional in use. The brush of solid beech and natural bristles turns washing up into a game and complements the Washing-up Bowl perfectly.

The Washing-up Bowl won the recognized design award “DesignPlus”, an international distinction that since has been followed by the acknowledged dictionary of design Phaidon Design Classics. Here the Washing-up Bowl is presented together with the 999 most innovative and influential designs launched throughout the past 200 years.

It started with a simple rubber bowl for washing up. Today it has become a useful object for many other things. Ole Jensen’s Washing-up Bowl distinguishes itself by its functionality and is used as a wine cooler in the restaurant at “The Museum of Modern Art” in New York and for foot baths in selected hotels all over the world.

Awards:
Design Plus 2002
Formland Prisen 2002

Design: Ole Jensen

Designer

Ole Jensen

Ole Jensen is educated from The Arts and Crafts College in Kolding and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Since 1985 Ole has taught at several design schools, exhibited his works in most of Europe, and co-founded and served as a member of several design associations and councils. He has won a number of famous design awards and been featured in several publications.

“Ideas and materials are closely related. The idea takes its form only when working with the material. I only trust a particular form when I have touched it with my fingers. I am able to communicate with the manufacturer as well as the end user through the particular object, and I see myself as a fertile minimalist. Everything counts. Neither more nor less! I aim at finding the uniqueness in the simple design and vice versa. Every single day brings new design challenges which I would like to take up”.